NCAV Antenatal Educator Course Accreditation

Please ensure you have read the general details on Course Accreditation.

To be considered under the NCAV process content of Antenatal Educator Awards must include:

  1. Understanding the main forms of assisted birth, including ventouse, forceps and other clinical interventions.
  2. Explaining why assisted birth may be recommended
  3. Helping learners understand the difference between planned support, urgent intervention and emergency intervention.
  4. Exploring how parents can be supported emotionally and practically if assisted birth becomes necessary.
  5. Considering recovery, possible physical effects and appropriate postnatal signposting after assisted birth.
  6. Ensuring teaching remains balanced, non-alarmist and respectful of maternity professionals and clinical decision making.

  1. Exploring different birth settings, including home, birth centres, midwifery-led units and obstetric units.
  2. Considering how environment may affect comfort, privacy, confidence, mobility and physiological birth.
  3. Discussing practical preparation for the chosen birth environment
  4. Helping parents understand how birth preferences may need to adapt if circumstances change and ways to manage that.
  5. Covering the role of lighting, noise, temperature, privacy, water, equipment and familiar support.
  6. Encouraging learners to present birth environments in a balanced way, without implying that one setting is suitable for everyone.

  1. Teaching the physiology and progression of the first stage of labour.
  2. Explaining early labour, established labour, contractions and cervical dilation in accessible terms.
  3. Supporting parents to recognise signs of labour and know when to contact maternity services.
  4. Covering comfort measures, movement, hydration, rest and emotional support during this stage.
  5. Helping learners understand the emotional and behavioural changes that may occur as labour progresses.
  6. Explaining how monitoring, examinations or clinical assessment may be offered during this stage.

  1. Explaining the transition from full dilation to the birth of the baby.
  2. Teaching the role of maternal position, instinctive pushing and coached pushing where appropriate.
  3. Helping parents understand possible clinical observations or interventions during this stage.
  4. Addressing emotional support, reassurance and the role of the birth partner during birth.
  5. Covering the importance of privacy, calm support, encouragement and responsive communication.
  6. Explaining possible variations in the second stage,
  7. Addressing the emotional impact of birth, especially where it was a difficult labour.

  1. Explaining the birth of the placenta and what usually happens after the baby is born.
  2. Covering physiological and actively managed third stage options.
  3. Discussing cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact and early bonding where appropriate.
  4. Helping parents understand possible concerns such as bleeding or further intervention.
  5. Explaining how the mother and baby may be monitored immediately after birth.
  6. Supporting learners to teach this stage clearly, without treating birth as complete before the mother’s immediate recovery needs are addressed.

  1. Explaining the practical and emotional role of birth partners before, during and after birth. How the birth partner can look after their own needs during the supporting process.
  2. Teaching ways birth partners can support comfort, communication and decision making.
  3. Helping birth partners understand their boundaries and the importance of working respectfully with maternity staff.
  4. Preparing birth partners for unexpected changes, interventions or emergency situations.
  5. Covering practical support such as, helping with movement, hydration, reassurance and advocacy.
  6. Encouraging birth partners to support the birthing person’s wishes without taking over decision making.

  1. Explaining planned and emergency caesarean birth and the circumstances in which each may occur.
  2. Covering what parents may experience before, during and immediately after a caesarean.
  3. Discussing recovery, wound care, mobility, feeding and emotional wellbeing after caesarean birth.
  4. Supporting balanced, non-judgemental discussion of caesarean birth as one possible birth pathway.
  5. Helping learners understand how parents can prepare for a planned caesarean, including questions to ask and practical recovery planning.
  6. Addressing the emotional impact of caesarean birth, especially where it was unexpected or followed a difficult labour.

  1. Explaining how one intervention may increase the likelihood of further interventions.
  2. Helping parents understand common intervention pathways, such as induction, monitoring, pain relief and assisted birth.
  3. Teaching how informed decision making can still apply when interventions are offered.
  4. Encouraging balanced discussion that avoids fear-based messaging or undermining clinical care.
  5. Exploring how parents can ask questions about benefits, risks, alternatives and timing.
  6. Supporting learners to recognise and distinguish between explaining possible intervention pathways and discouraging necessary clinical care.

  1. Teaching clear, respectful and compassionate communication with parents and professionals.
  2. Covering active listening, appropriate questioning and checking understanding.
  3. Helping students manage sensitive, emotional or challenging conversations.
  4. Reinforcing professional boundaries, confidentiality and appropriate signposting.
  5. Developing skills in inclusive language, cultural awareness and avoiding assumptions.
  6. Supporting learners to communicate evidence informed information without giving advice outside their role.

  1. Providing balanced information on breastfeeding, bottle feeding and combination feeding.
  2. Covering early feeding cues, positioning, attachment and responsive feeding.
  3. Explaining common early feeding challenges and when to seek specialist support.
  4. Supporting non-judgemental, evidence informed feeding discussions that respect parental choice.
  5. Covering safe preparation and feeding practices where bottle feeding or expressed milk is discussed.
  6. Helping learners understand the importance of signposting to midwives, health visitors, lactation consultants or infant feeding specialists where appropriate.

  1. Explaining the role of key hormones in pregnancy, labour, birth and bonding.
  2. Covering oxytocin, endorphins, adrenaline and prolactin in accessible terms.
  3. Exploring how environment, fear, stress, privacy and support may influence hormonal processes.
  4. Relating hormonal physiology to practical support during labour and early postnatal life.
  5. Explaining the role of hormones in early feeding, attachment and postnatal adjustment.
  6. Ensuring hormonal teaching is presented accurately and not used to blame parents when birth does not follow a physiological pattern.

  1. Explaining why induction may be offered and the common clinical reasons behind it.
  2. Covering common methods of induction, including sweeps, pessaries, gels, artificial rupture of membranes and hormone drips.
  3. Discussing possible benefits, limitations and implications for labour experience.
  4. Supporting parents to ask informed questions and understand their options.
  5. Explaining that induction may affect place of birth, monitoring, pain relief choices and labour progression.
  6. Teaching learners to present induction in a balanced way, recognising both clinical need and parental choice.

  1. Teaching the principles of consent, choice and shared decision making.
  2. Helping parents understand how to ask questions about benefits, risks, alternatives and doing nothing.
  3. Exploring tools such as BRAIN: Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition and Nothing.
  4. Reinforcing that decisions should be made without pressure, coercion or judgement.
  5. Explaining that consent is an ongoing process and can be revisited as circumstances change.
  6. Helping learners understand their role in supporting informed decision making without directing or making decisions for parents.

  1. Covering physical recovery after birth, including bleeding, stitches, caesarean recovery and pelvic health.
  2. Exploring emotional wellbeing, adjustment, bonding and common postnatal challenges.
  3. Teaching practical baby care topics such as feeding, sleep, nappies, crying and safety.
  4. Signposting to appropriate professional support for concerns about mother or baby.
  5. Covering the role of partners, family support, rest, nutrition and realistic expectations in the early weeks.
  6. Helping learners recognise signs that may require urgent professional support, including concerns around infection, mental health or baby wellbeing.

  1. Exploring how parents may feel when birth or feeding does not go as hoped.
  2. Teaching sensitive support around disappointment, grief, guilt, trauma or loss of confidence.
  3. Helping students understand the importance of language, validation and non-judgemental listening.
  4. Covering appropriate referral and signposting where emotional distress or trauma is present.
  5. Recognising that loss of expectation may arise from intervention, caesarean birth, feeding difficulties, separation from baby or lack of choice.
  6. Supporting learners to avoid minimising parents’ experiences.

  1. Explaining foetal position and how it may affect labour and birth.
  2. Covering common positions such as anterior, posterior, breech and transverse presentation.
  3. Teaching safe, practical comfort and positioning ideas within the educator’s scope.
  4. Explaining the possible role of movement, posture, rest positions and daily habits during pregnancy.
  5. Ensuring teaching avoids over promising outcomes or implying that parents are responsible for the baby’s position.

  1. Covering a range of pain relief options, including breathing, movement, water, TENS, gas and air, opioids and epidural.
  2. Explaining possible benefits, limitations and side effects in balanced terms.
  3. Helping parents consider personal preferences, birth setting and clinical circumstances.
  4. Supporting informed choice without promoting one method as universally preferable.
  5. Exploring non-pharmacological comfort measures, including relaxation, massage, positioning, water and emotional support.
  6. Explaining how pain relief choices may affect mobility, monitoring, labour progression or postnatal recovery.

  1. Teaching key anatomical and physiological changes during pregnancy.
  2. Explaining how the uterus, cervix, pelvis, placenta and baby work together during labour.
  3. Helping students present physiological birth clearly and accurately.
  4. Linking physiology to practical antenatal education, including preparation, reassurance and realistic expectations.
  5. Covering the interaction between hormones, contractions, baby’s position and maternal movement.
  6. The provision should ensure learners have an understanding of multiple births, including the unique physical, emotional and practical considerations associated with a multiple pregnancy/birth.
  7. Ensuring learners understand normal variation and avoid presenting physiological birth as the only successful or valid outcome.

  1. Teaching learners about the role of FEDANT as the regulator and professional register for appropriately qualified Antenatal Educators, Breastfeeding Counsellors, Doulas and Postnatal Practitioners
  2. Explaining that graduation marks the beginning of professional practice, and that registration demonstrates a continuing commitment to professional standards, accountability and safe practice.
  3. Covering the benefits of professional registration, including recognition as a professionally registered practitioner and increased confidence for employers, commissioners and members of the public.
  4. Explaining how registration supports public protection through standards, professional expectations, accountability and ongoing compliance.
  5. Informing learners about access to professional support, guidance, regulatory updates, CPD opportunities and eligibility for professional indemnity insurance schemes available to registered practitioners.
  6. Teaching the practical process of applying for FEDANT registration, including required documentation after qualification and the importance of maintaining registration throughout professional practice.

  1. Covering lesson planning, learning outcomes and structured session delivery.
  2. Teaching how to adapt content for different learners, group sizes and learning needs.
  3. Developing facilitation skills, including discussion management, inclusivity and confidence building.
  4. Assessing students’ ability to teach safely, accurately and within professional boundaries.
  5. Covering the use of appropriate teaching resources, activities, reflection and learner feedback.
  6. Ensuring learners can deliver antenatal education in a way that is evidence informed, balanced, respectful and appropriate to their professional role.

If you require assistance or have questions relating to course submission please contact the Education Committee Support Team

FEDANT does not accept submissions for the accreditation of Antenatal Educator courses conducted entirely by distance learning.

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